Gaming, whether on the ubiquitous personal computer (PC) or console platform, is fast gaining popularity worldwide. As a result, the PC and video gaming industries are posting record sales for portable and console hardware, software and accessories. Further, with the vast improvement of Internet technology, online gaming is also poised to take off as the next wave for PC gaming.
Typically, players use human interface devices (HIDs) such as keyboards and mice to interact with PC games. The genres of PC games range from First Person Shooter (FPS) games to Massive Multiplayer Online Role Player Games (MMORPGs). In order to play the PC games, the players generally use a combination of the “WASD” keys of the keyboard and the mouse as means for interacting with the PC games. Such a control scheme is commonly referred to as the “WASD/Mouse” combination. The “WASD” keys typically provide movements for game characters including forward, backward, left and right sidestepping. Additionally, the mouse is used for controlling the game characters' movement directions in which the players control the game characters for character interaction when they play the PC games. Furthermore, modifier keys such as “CONTROL” (CTRL), “ALT” and “SHIFT” are used in conjunction with other keyboard keys to serve as shortcut keys for most PC games. The shortcut keys are used to activate other game play functions during game play.
In the midst of playing a game, a player may unintentionally activate a button that disrupts the game. For example, the player may unintentionally press the “WINDOWS” key on keyboards when attempting to access the shortcut keys since the “WINDOWS” key is typically located on the keyboard together with the modifier keys. The “WINDOWS” menu is then activated and the game will be abruptly interrupted for a short period before the player resumes game play by manually deactivating the “WINDOWS” menu. Such unintentional activation of the “WINDOWS” menu will thus bring about decreased satisfaction in the overall gaming experience for many players.
Hence, there affirms a need for a system and method that address the foregoing problems of using human interface devices for playing PC games.